In the past few weeks and even months, the lives of many people have changed dramatically. COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, has caused people to avoid gathering together, and this has had an impact on businesses, restaurants, musicians, and artists. Bands, musicians, and recording artists have come up with a creative solution to the cancellation of gigs. They are streaming their music directly to fans all over the world.
Bridging The Gap
The majority of musicians have adopted social media and are using it to expand their audience around the globe. It’s now easier than ever to share a piece of your universe, no matter where you are. In the last few weeks, musicians have used their Facebook pages as a way to share songs. They do this to lift people’s spirits, especially those who are feeling nervous, or to provide entertainment to those who stay at home for safety reasons. The Mary Wallopers, an Irish band, went so far as to build a pub to livestream a concert for their fans to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Singer-songwriter Jack O’Rourke also shared his version of Van Morrison’s Into the Mystic.
Everyone is getting involved, from independent artists to household names. Neil Young, the legendary musician, announced on his Neil Young Archives site that he will begin streaming fireside session recordings directly from his house, filmed by Daryl Hannah. Bruce Springsteen, on the other hand, made his 2009 London Calling Live in Hyde Park show available to fans via YouTube and social media ahead of schedule and for the first time.
Jethro Pickett, an Australian musician, recently posted a video of himself performing on his deck while the water was behind him. The song is from his latest album, France. “Isolated in Tasmania this afternoon, picking away at the grass.” He said that art is very important in these times. It has to do with community and humanity.
Creative ways to come together
The Staves’ Camilla Staveley Taylor, Frida Mariema Touray, and Glyn Daniss jammed on a cover version of Bahamas’ Lost In The Light with Christof van der Veen.
Despite this, not all bands have been able to work together in one room. Linda Martini from Portugal had to be creative when playing together because each member was in a separate location. The band created a video of each member playing a song in their home and shared it on Instagram. It had a very organic feel. Helio Morais, a member of the band, told Lonely Planet that they created a video in a video-making app and published it. It was really cool and went viral.
Making festivals digital
The coronavirus has forced the cancellation of many events, even festivals. Many organizations have turned to the Internet as a way to host events. They have done this in the same manner they would with a festival by creating a schedule of sets and times. Then, they are streamed to the audience.
Spainorganisers recently announced the Stay at Home Festival. Lisbon’s Port to Port Festival will now take place online for two days starting on 21 March. The online Festival will have two major parts. The first part will be a livestream featuring a variety of artists streaming their music from home. Second, a “virtual festival” that takes people through the possible Festival. This is a great way to show off the young artists that would have performed and how they support their work, an important aspect of the Festival, according to Garden Community.
In Ireland, Unemployable Promotions organized an evening of music called Live at Home. Each act posted the link to stream the next act, creating a community-building and fun atmosphere.
